Kenneth Shinozuka Speaks About His Invention for Alzheimer's Patients

Althought Kenneth Shinozuka is young, he has been able to use his talents to create innovative products that help improve people's lives, and he speaks about this fact in his TED talk.

Shinozuka has had a love for technology and design since he was a child. His grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer's at around this time, and one of the symptoms he experienced was wandering off at all hours of the day and night. Not only was this dangerous for him, it was difficult for his caregiver (Shinozuka's aunt) to keep track of him, and to make sure that he didn't wander off while she was asleep. As a teenager, Kenneth Shinozuka invented a smart sock with pressure sensors that connect to a downloadable app, which sends the caregiver a notification if the person wearing the sock gets up at night. This ensured that Shinozuka's grandfather was able to remain safe, while his aunt was able to care for him while still getting rest at night.

At the time of the talk, Shinozuka's invention had a 100% success rate for his grandfather, who had tried to wander away at night 900 times since using it, with each time being detected by the sensor. It then moved on to beta testing at several residential care facilities in California, with Shinozuka now trying to accommodate the various points of feedback he has received.